Change
by Faolin
Summary: A Ruby and Tyler story. How they met growing up and why Ruby left Wolf Lake in the first place. Some Luke and Sophia as well.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Change

**Author: **Faolin

**Rating: **R

**Summary: **A Ruby/Tyler story. How they met growing up and why Ruby left Wolf Lake in the first place. Some Luke/Sophia as well.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Wolf Lake or any of its characters (even though I would really have loved to own them and keep them on TV for a very long time…)

**A/N:** I'm looking for a beta for this story, so if anyone is interested, send me an e-mail.

**Chapter 1**

"Let me go!" Ruby shouted as she was being dragged out of a black van by two men. She bit her lip, tasting blood. This wasn't supposed to happen…she was supposed to marry John Kanin and live a normal life. She wasn't supposed to be dragged back to Wolf Lake, back to her old life…back to them. She tried to free herself from the men's grasp again, but it was no use. They dragged her into a cabin surrounded by trees. She swallowed, trying to dig her feet into the ground. She wasn't going back…not to this…

"Ruby." A male voice spoke from the doorway. She looked up. Willard Cates, her father. He's face looked tired, old. He gave her a small smile. She remained impassive. "I'm sorry it had to be this way…but we couldn't let you marry a human. It's not in our nature." She didn't speak, just watched him. He sighed, and gestured for the men to bring her inside.

"I brought some of your old clothes over, their all in your room," he pointed to a doorway located at the end of the hallway, "which is over there. I'm sure you'll be comfortable. I have a meeting to attend, but I'll be back tomorrow, make yourself comfortable." He gave her a small smile before heading out the door. He paused once there, turning back to her slightly. "I'm glad you're back, Ruby, even if you aren't."

She watched him leave, one tear sliding slowly down her cheek. She was home.

----------

She was sitting on her bed, gazing around the room. She had one window, but it wasn't a means of escape, it had bars covering it. She gave a small laugh. They were prepared for her, but than again, they always were. Her eyes moved to a dresser, a small closet, a door leading to the bathroom. She got up off the bed, moving to door leading to the bathroom. She walked in. it was gorgeous, of course. She was sure Vivian had done the decorating. Everything was done in white marble, _Vivian must have been amused picking that out, just to remind me of who I am_, she thought.

She looked into the mirror, taking in her appearance. Her black hair, normally sleek and shiny, was now tangled and dirty looking. Her skin was paler, well, paler then normal. Her eyes were bloodshot. She sighed, closing her eyes tightly. She turned, walking over to the shower. She turned it on, striping her clothes off while waiting for it to heat up. She stepped in, the stress that had been weighing her shoulders down suddenly gone.

_What is John doing? _The question suddenly popped into her mind. What _was_ he doing? Was he looking for her? She knew he was…he would probably be crazy right now. A small smile graced her lips, he loved her so much. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, had even asked her to spend it with him…and she had said yes. She said she would marry him, and now here she was…back home, back in Wolf Lake.

She never thought she would be back here. Not in a million years. _That's not true, you knew this could happen, **would** happen, one day. _It was true. She was happy living in the outside world, but in the back of her mind, she knew. She knew they would come for her, bring her back. And here she was. Back.

Ruby lifted her head, letting the hot water spray onto her face, down her body. She quickly washed her hair, than poured soap onto a washcloth, scrubbing her body with it. She loved John…as much as she could. She would have spent her life with him, she would have been happy with him. It wouldn't have been perfect, but it would have worked.

She shut the water off, opening the door. She grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her self. She walked back over to the mirror, using her hand to wipe off the steam that had covered it. Her skin now had a flush to it, her eyes were clearer. She grabbed a comb, brushing it through her hair, getting all the tangles out. Once she was done she stepped back, opening the door into her room, and— froze.

Tyler Creed was splayed across her bed, his head supported by his arms, which were behind his head. The black dress shirt he was wearing was opened a good three buttons, showing an expansion of his chest to her. His legs were crossed, encased in black pants. She looked at his face, taking him in. His dirty blond hair was same as always. On the verge of being too long, sticking out in all directions but still managing to look good. He had a beard now; his dark blonde hair now covered his face as well. It suited him, though she would never admit that to him, or anyone else for that matter. His eyes were the same dark green as she remembered. She gave a small laugh in her head, like she could forget. She met his eyes. He smirked.

"Ruby." His deep voice was the same as she remembered, a little scratchy, and no doubt that it was masculine. His gaze ran over her form, taking in the fact that she was only wearing a towel. She shivered involuntary, she couldn't help it. But she ignored him and went to her dresser, grabbing some clothes out of it. She intended to walk back into the bathroom, but when she turned around, Tyler was standing in front of her. She gasped, moving back slightly. He frowned.

"You didn't sense me move." It was a statement, not a question. She ignored him, walking past him to the bathroom. She shut the door, leaning back against it for a moment before pushing away and getting dressed in the cotton tank top and shorts she had grabbed. She glanced once more in the mirror before opening the door and walking back into the room. Tyler was now sitting on her bed. She stood where she was, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What do you want, Tyler?" She finally spoke, meeting his eyes again. He laughed, his head thrown back.

"You know what I want, Ruby." His eyes were back on hers, this time filled with more emotion than she could take. She looked away.

"I'm tired, please leave." She heard him stand, walking over to her. She felt a small tingle run through her as she got closer. He walked around her, stopping behind her. She felt his chest and inch away from her back, felt his breath against her shoulder. She grit her teeth when he inhaled, taking in her scent. A low growl came from his throat. She knew he smelled John on her, his scent would stay there for a few days, no matter how many times she showered, and Tyler wasn't happy about that.

He pulled her tank top to the side, and she tried not the gasp as his skin touched hers for the first time in six years, exposing the pale bite mark gracing her otherwise unblemished skin. Tyler's bite mark.

"What did your human think about this?" His voice was throaty, like he was on the verge of shifting into his wolf form. She smirked.

"I told him it was from a rabid dog." She pulled away from him, turning to face him. His eyes were wolf, a dark golden yellow. She was ready to back away when his features suddenly relaxed, his eyes turning back to normal.

"Well, isn't that a nice explanation." He let out a breath, smiling at her. "What? You didn't want to tell him that mark is _my_ mark. That we were, _are_, a mated pair? That you _wanted_ me to mark you—"

"Fuck you, Tyler." She spat out, glaring at him. He was on top of her before she could move, her body now lying on the bed, his over hers.

"You already have, babe, many times," He smirked, "and you will again."

"I would rather _die_." She spat the words out tightly, meeting his eyes straight on.

"That's not true, Ruby, and you know it." Tyler's face had gone blank, his voice cool. "I would love to stay and talk, but," his face moved to her neck, inhaling, "that human's scent is all over you, and I won't be able to stop myself from erasing it if I stay." He kissed her neck once, and rolled off her, standing up. He gave her one last look before leaving the room, the door shutting behind him.

She let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to remember just _why_ she had left Wolf Lake in the first place.

**TBC…**

**Reviews please! If no one wants to read this I won't post it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **High R-rating. Pretty dark chapter of why Ruby left Wolf Lake. Some sexual situations as well. Thanks **jemma**, for the review. I really appreciated it!

**Chapter 2**

_Seven years ago…_

"Ruby, wait up!" Seventeen-year-old Ruby (her birthday had been just the other day) shook her head as a blonde girl came running towards her. She watched in amusement as the girl stopped next to her, breathing deeply. The girl looked up, her blue eyes meeting Ruby's sea green ones. "How about we go down to the lake for a swim?"

"Maggie, where else would we go?" Ruby laughed, pulling the girl towards the direction of the lake. Maggie had been her best friend since she was born. And just like Ruby, Maggie has flipped when she was fourteen. They had just finished school, and it was boiling out. The heat was almost to the point of being unbearable, and being in school all day was not a pleasant experience.

"Did you see Tyler? He was looking at you at lunch." Ruby rolled her eyes at the other girl's words.

"So? Tyler's an ass, everyone knows that. And besides, he's older than us and isn't he dating Shirley or Sharon-"

"Shannon." Maggie corrected her.

"Whatever. He sleeps with anyone who he can. I don't plan on being number one-hundred-and-three on his bedpost." Maggie laughed.

"That's true, but he's an alpha wolf, Rub, and only one year older. Besides, I'm sure he's great in bed…" Ruby turned to the blonde, shaking her head.

"Maggie! Honestly! Is sex the only thing you ever think about?" Maggie laughed.

"No…I think about guys, too." They both laughed, continuing to walk towards the lake. Once they were there, they dropped their bags to the ground, striping their clothes off. They were both standing in only their underwear and bras when they ran into the lake. Ruby sighed in relief as the cool lake water washed over her. She dove under, letting the water swim through her hair.

When she surfaced, a good twenty feet from land, she saw Maggie back on the beach, talking to Tyler and one of his friends. The other guy, who she recognized as Alex, was focused on Maggie, while Tyler was staring at her. She turned away, swimming even further out. She heard a someone get into the water, but didn't bother turning around to find out who.

She went under again, but this time swam towards the bottom of the lake. Her eyes were open, and she watched the fish and seaweed float by her. Her lungs were starting to burn, the need for air apparent. She turned, and started making her way back up towards the surface. She was almost a foot away when she felt a hand grab her ankle. She screamed, kicking her foot around wildly as water started to fill her mouth. She choked, flaring her arms to try and reach the surface.

A pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her up. She gasped in as much air as she could when she reached the surface. Not even noticing when the person pulled her to the shore. She coughed some more, spitting out water. After a moment, she finally looked over to see none other than Tyler Creed sitting next to her.

"Why the hell did you grab my ankle?" She spat out, trying to stand, but failing as her legs were still shaky from the shock of almost drowning. Tyler stood quickly, helping her sit back down. She shook off his arms.

"I didn't grab your ankle, Nick did." Tyler pointed over to a tall boy standing off to the side, looking embarrassed.

"Sorry, I didn't think you would freak out like that." Nick shrugged, walking off.

"I didn't freak out, I…" she trialed off, finally settling with, "Asshole!" She tried standing again, this time succeeding. She turned back to Tyler, who was watching her with concern.

"You sure you're okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine…" she glanced around, spotting Maggie running frantically towards her. "Uh, thanks, I guess…for helping me…"

"I wasn't going to let you drown."

"I wasn't going to drown…I just…got a little water in my mouth." Tyler laughed.

"Okay, then." Ruby narrowed her eyes.

"I can take care of myself, thanks."

"I never said—"

"Whatever." She turned, walking off towards Maggie, who was two feet away.

"Oh my God, Ruby, are you okay? I thought you were dead! You were under the water and I couldn't see you and I started yelling and, hey! Nick is such a jerk! He could have killed you! Oh my God, your Dad is going to be so mad, this—"

"Maggie! Breath." Ruby grabbed onto Maggie's arms, stopping her frantic movements.

"Okay, sorry, I just—"

"I know, and I'm fine. Let's just go home, okay?" Maggie nodded, and they started walking back to their bags. Ruby glanced behind her, catching Tyler's eyes as he watched her walk away. She turned back quickly, a small smile gracing her lips. He liked her.

----------

"Do you feel like going to the rave tonight?" Maggie asked Ruby while combing her hair. They were at Maggie's house, in her room. Ruby hated going home to her house where Vivian was sure to be, hanging all over her father. _Uh, no thanks_. The only times she actually spent time there was to be with her siblings, Luke and Amanda. Luke was one, Amanda was thirteen. Even though Lucas was her half-brother, and was part-Vivian, Ruby still loved him. She turned to what Maggie said. "I mean, I understand if you don't want to go—"

"No," Ruby spoke from her spot on Maggie's bed, throwing the magazine she had been looking at to the floor. "Let's go, I know you want to see Alex." Maggie didn't even hide her feelings.

"Yeah, I really like him. And he actually seems to like me."

"Mag, of course he likes you!" Ruby spoke, grinning at the other girl. "You've got the beauty and the brains. How could he _not_ like you?"

"Well, I am amazing, I know." Maggie batted her eyelashes dramatically. Ruby laughed, throwing a pillow at Maggie. "So, what should we wear?"

"Why don't you wear that new red top you got with jeans?" Ruby spoke, nodding towards a red shirt hanging from the closet door.

"Perfect!" Maggie jumped up and grabbed the shirt, running into her closet. She came out a moment later with the outfit on, posing. "What do you think?"

"I think he's going to be drooling." Ruby said, smiling.

"That's what I was going for. Now," she turned to Ruby, "what should we put you in?"

----------

"I can't believe I let you put me in this." Ruby spoke from the passenger side of the car. Maggie was driving her Dad's pick-up truck. Maggie turned to look at her friend, surveying the outfit she had picked out. Ruby was wearing a black mini-skirt, and a white tank-top, her raven hair hanging over her shoulders. A pair of sandals completed the outfit. Maggie shook her head.

"Rub, I would give my arm to look like you. You're gorgeous. I just hope Ale won't be in the group of guys that are going to surround you." Ruby laughed.

"Right." Maggie just shook her head, having dealt with her friend for a very long time. Maggie pulled into a small wooded area, parking the car and hoping out, along with Ruby. They followed the noise of the rave until they emerged into a huge clearing, tons of teenagers covering the grass, dancing, drinking, anything and everything.

"There's Alex!" Maggie pointed off towards the side where a group of guys were sitting and drinking beer. Ruby spotted Alex…sitting next to Tyler Creed, who had a blonde girl on his lap. Ruby bit her lip. Great.

"Maggie—" Maggie turned to Ruby, eyes pleading.

"Ruby, please? I can't go over by myself, I'll make a fool of myself! Please? I really like him and—" Ruby sighed.

"Fine." Maggie squealed, pulling Ruby into a hug. Ruby couldn't help but laugh. They started off to the group. Ruby watched as Alex stood when they walked over and met Maggie with a kiss. _Great, now I get to be a third wheel_. Maggie turned towards her after a moment.

"Alex, you know Ruby." Alex nodded towards Ruby, his attention moving back to Maggie after a moment. Ruby smiled mentally. _Finally a guy who actually seems to be good enough for Maggie_.

"Tyler, this is Maggie," Alex spoke, turning to Tyler, who was still sitting with the blond in his lap, "and Ruby." Tyler nodded, his eyes moving towards Ruby. She nodded towards him, noting that the blonde was glaring at her. She ignored her and turned back to Maggie.

"I'm going to get a drink." She said, nodding towards a truck. Maggie nodded.

"Want me to come with?" Ruby shook her head, walking off towards the truck full of drinks. She leaned over the truck, sticking her hand into the freezing ice to try and find a beer. She jumped as two hands cover her hips. She pulled back, turning to find Sean, some guy who was in Tyler's grade. He smiled at her.

"Ruby, right?" Ruby nodded, pulling away from the guy. "How about you come hang with me by the lake?"

"No, thanks." Ruby turned around, sticking her hand in the ice again. Sean's hands replaced themselves on her hips again.

"Come one, it'll be fun, Ruby."

"No, thanks. Please let go of me." His grip tightened. She tensed. This guy just didn't get it. She tired moving, but his gripe was too tight. She tried one more time. "Let go of me." His face moved to her neck. She grabbed a glass bottle from the truck, swinging it around and hitting Sean's head with it. The bottle exploded into pieces. Sean fell to the ground, clutching his head.

"You bitch!" People had stopped dancing and were now staring at the scene. Ruby still had the remaining piece of the bottle in her hand. She threw it to the ground quickly.

"Look, I asked you leave me alone—"

"Bitch!" Sean had stood up, and was now walking towards her. She backed up. She my have hit him, but Sean was a big guy, and a paired with his enhanced strength, she was no match for him. Sean grabbed her arms in a bruising grip, but before he could do anything else he was thrown back ten feet, landing on the ground. Tyler stood in front of her now, his eyes glowing golden, growling. He stared at Sean for a moment, obviously talking to him. Sean nodded, walking off. Tyler turned back to her, his eyes reverting back to normal.

"Did he hurt you?" He spoke, his voice still throaty from the growl. She shook her head. Maggie was by her side now, checking her.

"Shit, Ruby, look at your arms!" Ruby looked down, noting the deep purple bruises now forming of either upper arm from where Sean had grabbed her. She glanced up when Tyler touched her arm, wincing.

"Sorry," he said, "you should flip. You'll heal faster." She nodded, turning away.

"Let's go, Rub, let's get you home—" Maggie spoke.

"No," she gave Maggie a small smile. "I'm fine. You stay. I'm going to go for a run."

"Are you sure—"

"Mag, yes, now go." Maggie waited a moment, watching her friend. She nodded.

"Fine, but if you—"

"I know. I'll call you." And by "call", she meant send a telepathic message. Maggie and she had a private connection. Maggie nodded, walking back to Alex. Ruby turned back to Tyler, but he was gone. She looked around, but didn't see him. She shrugged and walked off in the opposite direction of Sean, she didn't want to run into him again. Once she was a good distance away, she shed her clothes, and making sure no one was around, stuck them into Maggie's car. Once done, she closed her eyes, focusing on the change.

She felt her muscles moving, her bones shifting. She felt her arms and legs shrink, forming into a wolf. Her face lengthened into a mussel, her teeth growing longer. She opened her eye. Everything was different. She sniffed, smelling the woods. The pine trees, the people, the food. She could here water moving, a small stream was close by. She started walking to the forest edge. She surveyed for a moment, then took off.

There was nothing better than running like this, the wind blowing against your face, the smell of woods everywhere, twigs snapping under her feet. She was free. She didn't have to worry about what had happened back there, she didn't have to worry about Vivian or her Dad, or anything. She could just…be.

----------

She slipped into the house quietly, making her way up to her room. She shut the door quietly, and quickly slipped on a pair of shorts and t-shirt. She opened her door again and walked to a room one door down from hers. She entered silently, walking over to the small bed. She smiled at the little blonde haired boy sleeping. Lucas was adorable, and as much as Ruby didn't want to like him, she did. She loved him. And she was going to make sure that he didn't grow up to be anything like his mother. She leaned down and kissed his forehead once before leaving.

She walked across the hall into her sister's, Amanda's, room. Amanda was coming close to changing, Ruby could sense it. Amanda was thirteen, and growing up looking just like their Dad. She was beautiful, and Ruby loved her so much. She was the last thing of their mother, and Ruby was going to protect her, no matter what. She smiled at the girl, giving her a kiss before walking out of the room and back to hers. She always did that, checked on her siblings when she got home, no matter what time. She wanted to make sure they were safe.

She climbed into her bed, pulling the covers up around her. Her thoughts drifted to Tyler Creed, how he had saved her, twice, in one day. Damn. She sighed. She was going to have to thank him tomorrow at school.

----------

"Ruby! It's time for school, get up!" Ruby groaned. Hearing Vivian's voice early in the morning was not something she enjoyed, at all. She sighed, slipping out of her bed. She walked into the bathroom, her own, and jumped into the shower quickly. After she had dressed, she ran down the stairs and into the kitchen, smiling at Lucas. She gave him a hug, ruffling his hair. He smiled at her, showing her his spoon, which was full of applesauce.

"Wow, Lucas, that's great." She gave him a kiss on the head and grabbed an apple before walking out of the kitchen, trying her best to ignore Vivian. "Amanda! Let's go, Maggie will be here in a minute!" Ruby walked down the hall, into her father, Willard Cate's, office. He was at his desk, reading the paper and drinking coffee. He looked up when she walked in, smiling.

"Ruby, sweetie, where have you been? I feel like I haven't seen you in a year." She gave him a hug, shrugging.

"I've been with Maggie. And you saw me the other day." He shrugged.

"I'm an old man, I forget things." He smiled, "off to school?"

"Of course." She blew him a kiss and walked back out, smiling as he told her to have a good day. She frowned when she saw Vivian talking to Amanda.

"Amanda, let's go!" She walked out the door, hearing Amanda follow. They stood at the end of the driveway waiting for Maggie.

"You know, Ruby, she's not that bad. You should give her a try." Ruby glanced at her sister.

"You've got a heart of gold, Mandy. I don't want you to think about me and Vivian."

"Are you mad…that I talk to her?" Amanda was looking at the ground now.

"Amanda, of course not! I just…it's different with me and Vivian, okay? But I don't want you to base your opinions on me. You're a smart girl." Amanda nodded, giving Ruby a smile. A car honked as it approached the house.

"That's Maggie."

----------

It was the end of the day, finally. It was hot as hell, and Ruby couldn't wait to get out and go to the lake for a swim. She was sitting in a desk next to Maggie, in Sherman's class. He was talking about wolves and their mating habits.

"You see kids, when a wolf mates, it's for life, no ands ifs or buts. That's why it's a good thing to mate sure you can actually live with the person before deciding to mate with them." A girl raised her hand, it was the blonde girl who had been sitting on Tyler's lap the other night. Sherman nodded. "Yes?"

"Well, I uh, I thought that you didn't really have a choice, that when you meet your mate, you just had a connection." Sherman nodded.

"It's true, when you meet your true mate, there is always a connection, but that connection has to be open for it to work. You have to allow yourself to be open to it." A redheaded girl in the back raised her hand.

"What happens if your mate dies?" Sherman smiled.

"Good question. You see if your true mate dies, then you are free to find another mate, but it will never be like what you had before. And if your true mate dies before you meet, then you will never experience what it is like to have a true mate." A blonde guy, Nick, raised is hand. Sherman nodded.

"So to mate you just have sex?" Everyone in the class laughed. Sherman shook his head.

"Mating does indeed involve sex, but it's not just that. In order to be _truly_ mated, you need to mark each other. A bite mark on the neck or shoulder makes the mating permanent. You can have all the sex you want, but you will never be mated unless you mark each other."

"But we heal, we don't have scars." A girl in the front spoke. Sherman smiled.

"Ah, but you see, this is a special mark. This mating mark with not fade away, it will remain, to show people, and yourselves, that you are mated." Ruby glanced over at Maggie, nodding towards Alex with a grin. Maggie blushed, ducking her head. Ruby turned, feeling someone staring at her, and met Tyler's eyes. She quickly turned away, glancing down at her notes.

----------

After school had let out, Ruby and Maggie found Amanda and pulled her with them to the lake. Ruby pulled off her clothes, as did Maggie. Amanda stood there, watching them. Maggie ran into the water, and Ruby saw Alex, who was across the lake, swim to meet her. Ruby turned back to Amanda.

"Aren't you going to swim?"

"I don't have a bathing suit." Ruby laughed.

"No one does. Just keep your underwear one." Amanda shook her head quickly.

"No way, there are…are…guys swimming!" Ruby bit her lip, smiling at Amanda.

"Amanda, you know that when you flip you're going to be naked all the time, right?"

"I know, but…I just…"

"Come one! Please?" Ruby pouted, giving her best sad face to Amanda.

"Fine, but…don't let those guys come over here!" Ruby nodded, watching in amusement as Amanda run behind a bush to remove her clothes. Ruby turned back around, walking into the water. She sighed, loving the feeling of the cool water against her hot skin. She laughed as Amanda ran by her and dove underwater, only her head popping back up. Ruby dove under, swimming through a patch of seaweed to grab her sister's leg. She surfaced; laughing at Amanda's terrified expression.

"Ruby! You scared me! I thought that…I thought, you know…"

"That I was some guy coming to ravish you?" Amanda blushed, sinking under the water.

----------

"Can I come with you?" Ruby had just come out of the shower, and was now slipping on a skirt and top. Her and Maggie were going to the rave tonight, but only because Maggie had begged her repeatedly to go. Alex was going to be there and Maggie wanted to hang out with him. Ruby had finally agreed out of annoyance. Amanda was sitting on her bed, pleading with her.

"Sorry, Mandy, but you're too young." Amanda pouted, flopping back down on the bed.

"Fine. But when I flip, I'm going to go to the rave every night." Ruby laughed.

"Believe me, it's not that exciting." The doorbell rang. "That's Mag. I gotta go." She gave Amanda a kiss on the head. "See you later, sis."

"Bye, Ruby."

----------

"Oh, Ruby, I _love_ him. It's official. I am in love. Maggie is _in_ love." Ruby rolled her eyes, having heard this a million times. Maggie had a problem in that she gave her heart away easily. Ruby, however, was like a rock. She barely let anyone in, and when she did, she didn't let go.

"There he is!" Maggie squealed in delight, running over to meet Alex. Ruby watched for a moment, then went over to the truck to grab a beer. She had just reached her hand in when she felt a pair of hands on her waist.

"You have got to be kidding me, Sean, get your hands—" she turned, intending to tell Sean off when she stopped. Tyler was standing behind her.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." He dropped his hands, giving her a smirk. She couldn't help it. She smiled, shaking her head. He reached past her, pulling out two beers. He handed one to her, popping the other open for himself. "I was going to go down to the lake, you coming?" Ruby glanced back at Maggie, who was now in a major lip-lock with Alex. She nodded.

"Yeah." They walked down past the woods, and onto the shore. Tyler sat down on the sand, patting the spot next to him. She sat, sipping her beer. It was silent for a moment.

"Thanks." Ruby finally spoke, gazing off into the water. She felt Tyler's eyes on her.

"For what?" She shook her head, turning to look at him.

"For stopping Sean from beating the shit out of me." Tyler looked away, shrugged.

"It was nothing. He was just drunk." Ruby nodded.

"Well…thanks anyway." He nodded, bringing his beer to his lips. He finished off, throwing it to the side. He glanced at her.

"How about a swim?" Before she could answer, he stood, pulling his shirt off to reveal a smooth, tan chest. Ruby swallowed, looking away as he pulled the rest of his clothes off. She heard him run into the water. "Ruby, come on." She shook her head, biting her lip, and, after finishing her beer, stood and pulled her shirt off. She slipped her skirt off, leaving her in only a black bra and panties. She ran out into the water, gasping at its coldness.

"Shit, Tyler, its freezing!" She had dove under, and was now standing chest high, shivering. Tyler laughed, swimming over to her. He wrapped his arms around her, and she immediately started to warm up. She gave him a small smile. "Thanks." He was facing her, his hands covering her back, pulling her closer towards him. He didn't say anything, simply watched her. She opened her mouth to say something but never got the chance because Tyler's mouth covered hers.

His hands gripped her back tighter, pulling her flat against his chest; her hands against him were the only thing separating them. His lips were so warm, and she was so cold. She moved her hand up to his head, her fingers gripping his hair, pressing closer to him. She almost groaned when his tongue pushed against her mouth, seeking entrance. She complied, meeting his with her own.

She pulled away after a moment, trying to catch her breath. Tyler's hands were now on her shoulders, sliding the straps of her bra off her shoulders. He pushed her bra down, his hands coming up to cup her breasts. She moaned softly, seeking his mouth again as his hands touched her. She wrapped her legs around him, and heard him groan as her breasts were pushed against his chest. His hands moved to her bottom, gripping her and pulling her tighter against him. They both groaned as their lower bodies were ground against each other.

They had made their way to shore, the opposite side of the lake they had come from. Ruby felt her back scrape against the sand but she didn't care. All she cared about at this moment was the man who was kissing her. _Tyler_. She pushed him off, reaching behind her to unclasp her bra. She threw it to the side, coming back to him. His hands moved back to her bottom, picking her up. He dropped his knees to the ground, setting her down on her back before crawling over her. His face went to her neck, kissing her softly.

His hands moved lower, his thumbs grabbing the sides of her panties and pulling them down. He moved back, pulling them all the way off and threw them to the side. He gazed down at her, his chest moving up and down quickly. His eyes were golden, and she knew hers were as well. She moved to a kneeling position, her hands working the zipper on his jeans. She pulled it down, pushing his pants off. She could feel his eyes on her and she couldn't help but shiver. He stood, slipping his pants off as well as his boxers. Ruby watched him, knowing he had done this many times. But right now, she didn't care, all she wanted was him.

He kneeled back down, his hands on either side of her head, crushing his mouth against hers. She responded, meeting his tongue again. She pulled him down to the ground, her legs moving apart, on either side of him. He pulled back from the kiss, meeting her eyes as he slid into her. She gasped, feeling a small amount of pain, which was quickly gone, replaced by the most pleasurable feeling she had ever felt. He was moving inside of her and she loved it…_oh god_…she moaned as his mouth went to her neck, nipping and sucking wherever he went. His right hand moved to her chest, gripping her breast.

"Tyler…" she groaned out, pulling his mouth away from her neck and back to her mouth. She lifted her hips up to meet his, hearing him growl softly. She used his moment of pleasure to flip them over. Now she was on top. She pulled away from his mouth, his hands moving to her hips, gripping them tightly. She lifted herself up, sliding back down slowly, enjoying the new angle. It was deeper, and she liked it. She felt something start to build up in her; it was like her insides were tightening. _Oh god_…

Tyler pushed against her, flipping them back over. He grabbed her legs, wrapping them around him. She cried out as a wave of pleasure rolled over her. _God_…she needed to release this thing that was building up inside of her…She was on fire, her breathing was fast, she bit her lip. Tyler's face moved to her neck again. He thrust once more, and she was gone. She felt like this huge ball that had been forming inside of her release. She cried out, digging her nails, which had lengthened, into his back. She heard Tyler growl, felt him bite her neck, felt him release inside of her.

Her head fell back against the ground, she felt the sand mixing with her hair but she didn't care. Tyler's head was resting on her chest, their lower halves still connected. Finally, he pulled out of her, moving to the side. Her eyes were closed; she was so tired, drained. She felt Tyler's arms move around her, felt him pull her against him, then she was asleep.

----------

Ruby awoke when she felt water against her legs. She groaned, opening her eyes. After a moment, she realized she wasn't alone. No, she was lying on the sand, with someone's warm body pressed against her back, an arm was holding her to them, and when she tried to move, the arm tightened. Who was this person? Who— _oh shit_. Ruby closed her eyes. _Tyler_. She had _sex_ with _Tyler_ last night. _Shit, shit, shit._ She tired to move away again, but the arm pulled her tighter, making her aware that a certain someone was _very_ happy to see her.

"Shit!" She yelled, ripping herself from Tyler's body. She stood up, cringing as Tyler shot up, looking around. He turned back to her, running his eyes over her body.

"What's wrong?" He spoke calmly, remaining seated on the ground. Ruby's eyes widened. _What was wrong with him?_

"What do you mean, what's wrong?" She tried to spot her clothes, but they were no where to be found. She turned back to him. "We're on the middle of the beach, naked, and we had…we…"

"Had sex?" Tyler supplied for her. She nodded, turning away from his gaze. She heard him sigh, coming to stand next to her. "I don't see what the big deal is—"

"What?" Ruby moved away from him, shocked, and as much as she didn't want to be, hurt as well. "What the big deal is? We had _sex_, Tyler. That may not mean anything to you but—"

"Hey," Tyler stopped her rant, "I never said—"

"Look, I don't care, okay?" Ruby shook her head; even though she did care…she cared a lot. "I just…never mind. I have to go." She turned and ran off towards the woods, feeling herself change as she ran. So she was running on all fours, felt the twigs and dirt crushing beneath the pads of her paws. _Oh God, what have you done, Ruby?_

----------

Ruby stood in front of the mirror, gazing at her body. She looked she had been in a car crash or some sort of fight. She had bruises and small bite marks all over her body. And, shit, she had a nasty bite mark on her neck. Her hand moved up to touch it, pulling back quickly. It was sore. _Nice job, Ruby_, she thought, _you've gone and had sex with none other than Tyler Creed, the guy who has probably come close to sleeping every female in Wolf Lake_. But not only that…this had been, well…this had been her _first_ time. Meaning that this had been the first time she had ever had sex, and it had been with _Tyler_ of all people.

"Fuck!" Ruby slammed her fist into her mirror, grimacing as the glass shattered and bits fell to the floor. Her fist was bloody, but right now, she didn't care. _Stupid, Ruby_. She turned the sink on, washing her fist off before grabbing a towel and pressing it against the cut. She looked once more in the mirror before turning and walking into the shower. She stepped in, trying to wash away all that had happened.

----------

"Oh my God, Ruby!" Maggie was sitting on Ruby's bed when she had emerged from the bathroom, clad only in a towel. "What happened?"

"Nothing, I—"

"Ruby Cates, do not lie to me!" Maggie was turning a nice shade of red, which meant that there was no way Ruby could lie to her. Ruby sighed.

"I had sex with Tyler." There was a silence, followed by a yell.

"Ruby!" Maggie was standing in front of her now, shocked. "You had _sex_ with _Tyler Creed_?" Ruby turned away, walking to her dresser, nodding. "But…but you said you didn't like him, that he was an asshole, that—"

"I know what I said, and I still think he is an asshole, and I don't like him." Ruby slipped on her shorts and shirt, turning back to Maggie. "It just…happened, okay? We were swimming in the lake and then we were kissing and…well, you know what happened."

"Shit, Ruby…" Maggie sat back down on the bed. "So…what did he say? You know…after?" Ruby started brushing her hair.

"He said it wasn't a big deal." She finally spoke.

"What! That little piece of shit!" Maggie was fuming, "I am going to rip his—"

"Mag," Ruby gave her a small smile, "its okay. This is Tyler were talking about."

"So? He can't treat you like that—"

"Well, he did." Ruby stood, "let's just forget about it, okay? Please?"

"But, Ruby, I don't think—"

"Mag, please?" Ruby's voice was quiet. Maggie finally nodded. "Good. Now how about you help me put on some Band-Aids?"

----------

It was another boiling day, but luckily, it was a Saturday, which meant no school. Ruby and Maggie were in Ruby's room, happy to stay in the air-conditioning, rather than roast outside. Maggie had suggested going to the lake, but Ruby didn't want to chance seeing Tyler there, she wasn't ready yet.

"Why don't we run up to the video store and grab some movies?" Maggie was flipping through the TV channels, trying to find something good to watch.

"I guess," Ruby spoke, jumping off the bed. "Tyler wouldn't be there, right?"

"I'm sure he's at the lake, Rub, it's like a hundred degrees outside." Maggie stood as well, and they made their way out to the car, running, once the felt the heat. Maggie drove, and, once there, walked into the store, sighing as the air-conditioning hit them.

"What should we get?" Ruby surveyed the room; it was empty, except for the human guy sitting at the register. She gave him a smile, which he returned.

"Why don't I get some romance, you get some action?" Maggie didn't wait for a reply, simply started walking towards the romance section. Maggie was a sap for romance. With a small laugh, Ruby walked over to the other side of the store, gazing at the action titles.

"Can I help you?" The guy from the register had walked over, now standing next to her.

"That's ok, I—"

"She's fine." A male voice spoke from behind Ruby. She froze, knowing it was Tyler, and knowing he was only an inch from her body. "Why don't you go back to work?" The guy looked at Ruby once, then walked back to the register. Ruby turned, angry.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She spat out quickly, turning to see where Maggie was. She sighed when she saw Alex talking to her. She turned back to Tyler, who was watching her with amusement. "Well?"

"Just helping you out." He replied, running a hand down her arm. She moved back.

"Stay away from me, Tyler." She turned to leave, but was stopped by his hand on her arm. She froze when she felt his voice in her mind.

_I can't do that, Ruby. We're connected now. _

_We are not connected, Tyler. What happened was just…it just happened, okay? _

_No, Ruby. It happened because it was supposed to happen. We're meant to be together, Ruby. _

_What the hell are you talking about, Tyler? It was just sex. _

_You're wrong, babe. We're mated now. _

Ruby looked up, meeting Tyler's eyes in the mirror standing in front of them. His eyes, which were normally a light green, were glowing gold. She swallowed. No. She wasn't…they weren't…no. She shook her head, turning to face him. "You're crazy, Tyler. We're not…mated."

"Then why can I sense you wherever you are? Why can I hear your heartbeat, right next to mine? Why do we have a private connection? Listen to it Ruby, you can hear me too." He was close to her now, watching her. She listened, not moving. Waiting…waiting for— she gasped, listening to Tyler's heartbeat. She could hear it so clearly. And he was standing so close, she felt a tingling sensation wash over her. And she knew…she knew it was because of him.

She backed away, running out of the store. She heard Maggie call her name, but didn't stop. She kept running until she got to the woods. She pulled her top and shorts off, feeling her body already starting to chance. _God…this couldn't…this couldn't be happening! She was only seventeen, she couldn't be **mated**! _She sighed in relief when she felt her body fully changed. She started running, not caring where she was going, just waiting to run and never stop.

She ran for what seemed like hours, never stopping, never slowing down. Finally, she started to slow down, her breathing erratic. She came to a stop next to a steam, leaning down to take a drink. She sighed as the cool water made its way down her throat. She was about to take another drink when she froze. Her senses were on alert. Someone was here. Before she could think about it, a wolf had stepped out from the woods, a dark grey one. _Tyler_. She was preparing to make a run for it when his voice stopped her.

_Ruby, you can't run from this. _

She didn't say anything, simply watched him walking closer to her. He kept walking until he brushed against her side, running his muzzle along her white fur. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of her mate touching her— No! Not her mate. Tyler wasn't her mate…he couldn't be.

She pulled away from, intending to run again when she felt his teeth grabbed onto her neck. He wasn't trying to hurt her. No, he was trying to stop her from running. She tried to move again, crying out when his teeth moved deeper. A deep growl came out of his throat, rubbing itself along her fur. She shivered.

_We're mated now, Ruby. Nothing can change that. _She heard his voice in her head. She growled.

_We are not mated, Tyler. I'm only seventeen, I can't be mated! _She felt his laugh in her head.

_Ruby, it doesn't matter. We are mated. _She pulled away from him, releasing herself from his grip. She met his eyes once before taking off into the woods. She could feel him running after her, but she wasn't going to stop. If he wanted her, he was going to have to catch her. She wasn't going to make this easy.

She ran, jumped, and swerved. But Tyler was an alpha male wolf. There was no way she was going to outrun him. She was just running past a fallen tree trunk when she felt the air get knocked out of her as a body landed on top of her. They rolled, Ruby finally ending up on the bottom, Tyler over her, watching her with his amber eyes. He leaned down, rubbing his muzzle along hers. She felt him start to change, but her eyes were closed, and she didn't bother opening them.

"Ruby." She looked up, seeing Tyler, in his human form, looking down at her. His hands were on her pelt, petting her white fur. "Change for me." His voice was soft, asking, not telling.

She watched him for a moment. Her mind made up. She closed her eyes, letting the change take over. She felt her body lengthen, felt her paws turn into hands, felt her muzzle move back into her human form. Finally, after a moment, she opened her eyes, meeting Tyler's. He was crouching on the ground a foot away, watching her. She stood up, walking over to him. He stood up as well, waiting for her.

Once she was in front of him, she ran her hands over his chest, up to his neck. She dug her hands into him, and with all the strength she possessed, she threw him. Tyler flew through the air, landing against a tree. She didn't wait a second longer, simply started to change. Once she was in her wolf form, she ran.

----------

"Ruby, thank God you're here." Vivian met Ruby at the door, much to her annoyance. Vivian looked tired, her hair was slipping out of its twist, her eyes looked heavy. Ruby suddenly felt scared. Something was wrong.

"What is it?" She questioned quickly.

"It's Amanda, she's started her change." Vivian started walking upstairs, heading toward Amanda's room. Ruby followed closely, her throat tight. When Vivian opened the door, Ruby wasn't prepared for the sight that greeted her. Willard and Sherman were standing by Amanda's bed and Amanda was…_oh God_…Amanda was on the bed, shaking as her body tried to flip into her wolf. Her hands were half-paws; her face had part of a muzzle on it. Ruby rushed over.

"Amanda," she grabbed on of Amanda's half-formed hands, holding it tightly in her own. She tried to smile, but failed. "Hey little sis." Amanda turned her head towards Ruby, meeting her eyes. She saw Amanda relax a little when she saw who it was.

"Ruby." Her name was spoken in a half-growl. Ruby nodded.

"Yeah, babe, it's me." She heard the adults talking off to the side, murmuring to each other. She turned back to Amanda.

"It…hurts…" Amanda spoke softly, tightly. Ruby nodded, trying to fight off the tears that were forming.

"I know, baby, but you have to let this happen. You have to let go and change." A scream tore from Amanda's throat as a ripple went through her body. Ruby bit her lip, tasting blood. All she wanted to do was help her sister. If she could switch places with her she would in an instant. This wasn't fair. It shouldn't be this hard for Amanda. It shouldn't be this hard, period. Something was wrong…

"Ruby, come with me." She turned to her father, who had spoken.

"No, I need to stay with Amanda." She spoke, turning back to her sister.

"I need to talk to you for a minute, Ruby." He grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the room. He stopped outside the hallway, looking haggard. His eyes were bloodshot. "Ruby…she's been stuck this way for twelve hours. It's not working. She just isn't strong enough." Ruby stared at her father, not understanding.

"What are you saying? Amanda will be fine, she's strong enough." Willard sighed.

"No she's not Ruby. There's too much stress on her body. It's been too long."

"No—"

"I'm sorry, Ruby." Sherman had come out of the room, he looked grim. "But it's true. She's not strong enough. Her heart won't make it through the change." Ruby shook her head.

"No, I'll help her. I'm a white wolf, it's what I'm supposed to do—"

"Ruby, you've never tried to do this before, you don't know how—"

"Then tell me because I will not let my sister die!" Willard and Sherman shared a look. Willard finally nodded.

"Okay."

----------

Ruby watched as Sherman pulled a sheet over Amanda's body, over Amanda's _dead_ body. How had this happened? She had just been talking to Amanda the other day. And now…and now she was dead. Sherman had told her what to do, that she had to connect with Amanda's mind, talk her through it. But Amanda was too far gone.

"Ruby," she heard her father's voice, but she didn't respond. "Ruby, why don't you go to your room and try and get some sleep." Ruby didn't say anything, simply sat on the chair facing Amanda's bed, watching.

"Ruby, you can't stay in here." Willard spoke to his daughter again, trying to get through to her. He helped her stand, pulling her out of the room and into her own. He walked her to her bed, made her lay down. He brushed her hair out of her face. "There was nothing you could have done, Ruby. You tried as best you could. She just wasn't strong enough." He waited a moment, but when Ruby didn't respond, he left, shutting the door softly behind him. That was when Ruby broke down. She cried until she had no tears left.

----------

"Ruby," Maggie's voice spoke next to her ear. Ruby opened her eyes, turning her head to find Maggie lying on the bed next to her. She just stared at her friend. "Oh, Rub." Maggie wrapped her arms around Ruby, pulling her tightly to her. Ruby let her friend do this, closing her eyes again.

"She's gone, Mag." Ruby finally spoke, quietly, softly, into her friend's shoulder. She didn't cry, she wasn't going to cry anymore.

"I know, babe." Maggie said softly, "I'm here for you, okay? I'm not going anywhere."

----------

"Mag, please, you have to leave. I can't stand having you stalking me around my own house." Ruby spoke to Maggie, who was lying on her bed. Maggie shook her head.

"I'm not going anywhere, babe." She spoke, "I mean, I'll stay home from school every day if I have too." Ruby cracked a small smile, which Maggie was hoping for.

"Maggie, I just…I need some time alone, okay?" She turned to her friend, sitting down on the bed next to her. "I just…want to think, you know?" Maggie watched her for a moment, nodded.

"Fine, but—"

"I know, I know, I'll call you if I need you." Ruby spoke, giving her friend a small smile. Maggie stood, making her way to the door.

"Fine, but—"

"Bye, Maggie." Ruby laughed when Maggie huffed, shutting the door behind her. Ruby's smile faded. She looked around her room, not knowing what to do, where to go. She suddenly sat up, walking towards her door. She walked out, heading down the hall. She opened a door, walking in. Lucas was playing on the floor with Vivian. They both looked up when the door opened.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't think—"

"No, it's okay." Vivian stood up quickly, "I was just leaving anyway. You can stay." She didn't wait for an answer, simply walked out of the room, leaving Ruby alone with Lucas. He smiled at her, waving his toy truck in the air. Ruby smiled, sitting down next to him.

"Hey, Lucas, what's up?" He gave her his truck, reaching his hands up to touch her hair. Ruby laughed, Lucas loved playing with her hair. She played with him for a good hour before he started to get tired. She picked him up, setting him down softly on his bed. He was asleep in seconds. She smiled at him, and placed his blanket over him. She gave him a kiss on the forehead before leaving. She walked back to her room, opening the door and shutting it tightly behind her. She turned and— froze.

Tyler was standing in her room, staring out the window into the woods. He turned when she came into the room, staring at her. She saw he was holding a picture frame; one she knew contained a picture of her and her mother. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"What are you doing in my room?" She finally asked, walking over to him and grabbing the picture out of his hand, setting it back where it belonged. He shrugged.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He said softly, watching her.

"I'm fine, will you please leave now?"

"No." She stared at him incredulously.

"No?" She repeated.

"No." He said, walking past her to sit on her bed. "You need me." She turned around, clenching her teeth together.

"I do not need you, Tyler. Now leave." She spoke tightly.

"Yes you do. I can feel you call me in your dreams." She gave a small laugh.

"You wish."

"I don't have to." She was openly glaring at him now.

"How did you even get in here?" She finally asked.

"Your Mom let me in."

"Step-Mom." She corrected him. "And why would she let you in?"

"Because you're my mate, and you need me." He replied, making her even angrier than she thought possible.

"I am _not_ your mate, Tyler; get that through your thick head." He just stared at her. She growled, walking past the bed and opening her door. She walked out, slamming it behind her. She went down the stairs, ignoring the fact that Tyler was following her. She went into the hallway, walking towards the front door. She opened it, pointing out while looking at Tyler.

"Leave." He didn't move. She let out a breath and shut the door, walking quickly back up to her room before Vivian saw her and tried to make her eat something. She didn't even bother shutting her door, knowing Tyler was following her again. She lied down on her bed, her face resting on her pillow. She felt Tyler lay down behind her.

"I'm sorry about your sister." His voice was soft. She bit her lip, feeling tears fill her eyes. She was _not_ going to cry, not in front of Tyler. She felt his arm wrap around her, and she couldn't stop the tears from falling.

"It's my fault." She whispered through her tears. "It's my fault she's dead."

"No it's not, Ruby." Tyler's voice in her ear was determined. "It's not your fault, baby." He placed a kiss on her head, pulling her tighter against him. She grabbed the hand that was wrapped around her waist, holding it with her hands. Tyler turned her around, wrapping both his arms around her, her face falling to his chest. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she buried her face in his neck, crying, Tyler whispering soothing words to her.

----------

Ruby woke up while it light out. She glanced at her clock, noting it was four in the afternoon. She sighed, burying her face deeper into— into Tyler's neck. _Fuck, Ruby_, she thought. She could feel his arms wrapped around her, keeping her warm, and locked against him. She pulled her head back, looking at Tyler's face. His eyes were open, staring at her. She licked her lips, unsure.

"You're still here." She finally spoke.

"Where else would I be?" He replied softly, lifting his hand off her waist to brush her hair back. She sighed, her eyes closing as she moved her face into his touch. He froze, and her eyes opened.

"What?" She asked, watching him. His face was serious as he stared at her.

"You're beautiful, Ruby." She blushed at his words, looking away. His hand turned her face back to him. "I mean it; I've never seen anyone as beautiful as you." She bit her lip softly, not sure what to say.

"I'm not—"

"Yes, you are." He spoke, pulling her face down to his. He covered her lips with his own, one hand on the back of her head, the other on her waist. She responded to his mouth, meeting his tongue with her own. The hand on her waist was making its way up her shirt when Ruby's door opened. They pulled apart quickly.

"Whoa, sorry about that…" Maggie trailed off, looking embarrassed. Ruby pulled herself off of Tyler, adjusting her clothes.

"No, it's fine." Ruby spoke, walking over to her friend.

"It's just…there's food downstairs, and Vivian wanted me to come get you…" Maggie spoke again, still looking embarrassed. Tyler spoke this time.

"Good, let's go eat." He jumped off the bed, walking over to them. Ruby shook her head.

"I'm not hungry—" Tyler cut her off.

"You have to eat, Ruby. And you haven't eaten in a while."

"That's not true—"

"When was the last time you ate?" Tyler questioned her. She opened her mouth to respond, but stopped. "That's what I thought. Let's go." He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room. She shook her head, but followed him, Maggie behind them, giving Ruby a questioning look, to which she just shrugged.

----------

"I just...I always thought that in every person's life, they have a tragedy. Someone dies, then life goes on as happy as it can be. And when my Mom died…" Ruby trialed off, staring out at the crystal waters of the lake. Tyler's arms were wrapped around her, his chin resting on her head.

"You thought nothing else bad could happen to you." Tyler supplied for her. She nodded.

"Yeah." She turned her face upward, meeting his eyes. "Guess I was wrong, huh?" He shrugged.

"Maybe, or maybe you were partially right. What if for every bad thing that happens to you, something good happens." Ruby looked back out over the lake.

"Maybe."

----------

_Eight months later…_

"What did Tyler say when you told him we were going to the club in the city?" Maggie turned to Ruby, questioning her. Her eyes quickly moved back to the road. They were in her Dad's pickup truck again, driving to the city to celebrate Ruby's eighteenth birthday, which had been the other day.

"Well…he said have fun." Ruby replied, turning away quickly. Maggie laughed.

"You didn't tell him, did you?" Ruby turned back to her friend, smiling shyly. She shrugged.

"I may have told him I was staying at your house." Both the girls laughed. Ruby shrugged. "You know he would never have let me go to the city. He would have either locked me up or came with me. And I just…I want to just hang out with my girl." She smiled at Maggie, who nodded.

"I understand." She said, blowing Ruby a kiss. "And I can't blame you; I am amazing, after all." Ruby shook her head. _That was Maggie_.

----------

"I am so drunk…" Maggie spoke, trying to walk in a straight line. Ruby laughed, linking her arm through Maggie's.

"Me too." She pulled Maggie towards the truck, not noticing the three guys following them. "Tyler is going to be so pissed when he finds out I went to a club in the city and got piss drunk." Both of the girls laughed, stopping once they reached the car.

"Where'd I put the keys, Rub?" Maggie was searching through her purse, which fell to the ground, everything spilling out. "Shit."

"Here, I'll get it." Ruby bent down, picking up the items and putting them back in the bag. "They're not here; did you leave them at the table?"

"You won't be needing those keys right now, girl." A male voice spoke about five feet away from the girls. Ruby froze, turning her head to look up. Three men were standing around her and Maggie, now of which looked very nice.

"What do you want, mister?" Maggie obviously didn't sense the danger, because she was giggling after speaking to the man.

"We just want to talk." Ruby shook her head, standing up slowly. Her heartbeat was quickening, this wasn't good.

"Leave us alone." Ruby spoke calmly, hoping they would take the hint and leave. No such luck. She saw them exchange looks. _Shit, Ruby_. Two of the guys came forward, grabbing Maggie. The other one came at Ruby. They would have succeeded in doing whatever they had planned if Ruby had been human. But, luckily for her, she wasn't. With a growl, she grabbed the man by the neck, throwing him through the air, where he landed against another car. She turned to the other two.

"Let her go, now." Her voice was deep, and she knew her eyes were glowing. Maggie was so drunk she was still giggling, and the two guys set her on the ground, walking towards Ruby. One of them grabbed her arm, while the other backhanded her across the face. She fell to the ground, tasting blood in her mouth. She turned, intending to stand back up when a dark grey wolf came flying throw the air, landing on the man who had just hit her. _Tyler_.

She stood, seeing the other guy pull a gun from his waist. He was aiming it at Tyler and Ruby didn't even think, simply jumped on the man. They both fell to the ground, and Ruby heard the gun go off. She just hoped that it didn't hit Tyler. The gun flew off, skating across the ground. The man twisted around, throwing Ruby off him. He was about to walk over to her when the wolf was on him.

Ruby watched as Tyler, in his anger, ripped the man's throat out. She couldn't turn away, but watched as the man's head fell to the side, dead. The wolf turned towards her, his golden eyes glowing, her muzzle and neck covered in blood. Ruby was frozen, staring at Tyler, Tyler…who had just _killed_ two men, killed two men because of _her_. She heard his growl, saw his eyes move to a spot behind her, knew it was the third man. She didn't look, just stared at the spot Tyler had just been in, but was now chasing the other man.

Ruby crawled to her feet, turning to locate Maggie. She spotted her lying on the ground ten feet away. She quickly ran over, grabbing Maggie's hand to pull her to her feet. "Come on, Maggie, we have to go, shit, we have to go—" Ruby froze, finally looking down at her friend. Maggie's eyes were opening, but seeing nothing. There was a bullet wound in her chest. It had hit her heart. _No…no, no, no…this couldn't…_

Ruby dropped her friend's hand, using her hands to back peddle away. Her eyes were wide, filled with tears that were too shocked to fall. Her mouth was open, but she couldn't even scream. She was still crawling backwards, but stopped when she felt her arms touch something. She turned, finally able to scream when she saw she had run into one of the dead men. And then she did the only thing she could think of.

She ran.

**Review please!**

**A/N:** I'm thinking of adding more to Ruby's backstory. What she did when she wasn't in Wolf Lake, etc. How's that sound?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: High R-rating. Dark content, with some sexual situations. **

**Chapter 3**

_Present day…_

Ruby gazed out the window, finally coming out of her thoughts when she heard a knock on her door. She had been here for five days now, and she wasn't happy. She didn't move, but waited. She heard the door open, and saw her brother, Lucas's, reflection in the dark window. She smiled, turning to face him. He gave her a hesitant smile.

"Ruby." She walked towards him, wrapping her arms around him. She felt him relax when she did this, his arms wrapping around her as well.

"I've missed you, little brother." She pulled back, her hands moving to his face. She surveyed him, seeing that he looked like their Dad, like Willard, the strong jaw, those dark eyes. But she could see Vivian as well, and for some reason, that didn't bother her. Not about Lucas. "You've grown up."

"Yeah, so have you." He smiled, pulling her into another hug. He missed his sister. "I can't believe you're back. I thought…I didn't think you were coming back." Ruby's smile faded, she walked over to her bed, sitting down.

"I didn't think I was coming back either, Luke." He walked over to the window, where she had been just moments before.

"I'm sorry, Ruby." He turned back to her, looking sad. "If I could have stopped them—"

"Luke, there was nothing you could do." Ruby shrugged. "I knew, in the back of my mind, that I would be coming back here one day." Luke pushed away from the window, walking around the room.

"But you shouldn't have been forced like this." Ruby gave him a small smile.

"It would have happened anyway. It doesn't matter." She patted the bed next to her. "Come tell me about you." He grinned, moving towards the bed and sitting down beside her.

"What do you want to know?" He asked, laying back on the bed, his arms supporting his head.

"Are you seeing anyone?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really…" Ruby studied him.

"What about Sophia? You mention her a lot when I called." He shrugged, looking away.

"She hasn't flipped yet."

"So? She's Matt's daughter, she flip." Lucas sat up.

"You think so?" Ruby nodded.

"Definitely." Ruby saw Lucas mouth curve into a small smile. She grinned, looking down at her brother. "You really like her, huh?" Lucas shrugged.

"There's just…something about her. I love being around her. She makes me smile, and she's got the most gorgeous smile I've ever seen—"

"You love her!" Ruby's grin was huge now. Lucas blushed.

"No I don't—"

"Yes, you do! You've got all the signs. Your eyes light up when you talk about her, which you do a lot, by the way. I'm happy for you, Luke." She ruffled his hair, still smiling. Lucas grabbed a pillow, covering his face. Ruby laughed.

"Ruby…were you really going to marry that human?" Lucas had thrown the pillow off, and was now watching her. Ruby looked away, shrugged.

"Yeah, Luke, I was."

"Did you love him?"

"I…I could have been happy with him." Lucas sat up, surveying her.

"That's not what I asked, Rub." She sighed, meeting his gaze.

"In a way, yes…but I gave my heart away a long time ago, and I never got it all back." She looked away, gazing out the window. Lucas wrapped an arm around her, pulling her to his side. Ruby smiled, glancing up at him. "You've changed, Luke, grown up." Lucas smiled, shaking his head.

"Glad you finally noticed." She laughed, hugging him to her.

----------

After Lucas had left, she walked back over to the window, returning her gaze to the woods and lake that lay out there. The water was dark, the only light coming from the moon, which was reflected on it, forming a perfect circle. She sighed, thinking about what had happened that night when Maggie died. She had run, and never came back. She had left Wolf Lake, left her father, and Tyler.

She just couldn't take being there, knowing that Maggie was dead, her best friend, because of _her_. She knew Tyler would look for her, but she made sure he didn't find her. It had hurt, being away from him, feeling their connection fading day after day, but after seeing him kill those men…rip their throats out like they were just pieces of meat…she could never look at him again with out thinking about that. She had saved Tyler, and in turn, killed her best friend. The bullet that man was going to shoot was meant for Tyler, but she had stopped him, but she wasn't fast enough.

_God, Ruby, you've made a mess of things_, she thought. When she had run that night, she had run straight through another town, and kept going until she was dead on her feet. Then she had slept, food some food, and ran some more. Eventually she had found a place to stay, somewhere to work. And from then on, she moved around. But in that time…she had been so depressed; she had done drugs, basically anything she could get her hands on.

Finally, after almost a year of that, she had finally gotten her act together, cleaned up. She hadn't touched any since. She had found a good job, bought an apartment, and met John. At first she had ignored him, knowing she didn't want to get involved with anyone, especially a human, but…things happened. And she grew to like him. He made her laugh, and just made her happy. And when he had proposed…she didn't see why she shouldn't. She could see herself raising a family with him, spending her days with him. He was a good man.

But she knew, of course, that she could never love John like she loved Tyler. Tyler was truly her mate, the man she was _supposed_ to be with. But things change, people change. Being away so long…she had lost her connection with Tyler. But she could feel it starting to form again…and that scared her. She knew Tyler was angry with her for leaving, but she also knew that he would take her back, because he still wanted her.

"_Fuck_, Ruby." She murmured to herself, focusing on her reflection that was looking back at her in the dark window. She sighed, moving to sit on her bed. She knew she was staying here, staying in Wolf Lake. She couldn't leave again. She had a duty, being a white wolf. She needed to try and help her pack, help the others like Amanda, but who had a chance. She knew her life with John had just been a dream, not a reality. Never a reality. She was home now, back where, whether she liked it or not, she belonged.

----------

Ruby jerked awake, shooting straight up in bed, the covers falling into her lap. Something was wrong…someone was hurt, in pain. She pushed the sheets aside, walking quickly to her door and opening it. She walked out into the room, stopping when she saw Tyler asleep on the sofa. He jerked awake when she walked into the room, and was now standing in front of her.

"What's wrong?" He was looking her over for any signs of injury. She shook her head.

"It's not me…I just, something's wrong. I can feel someone in pain." She closed her eyes, trying to remember what she had felt. She looked at Tyler. "Someone's trying to flip and it's not working. We have to find them." Tyler looked at her suspiciously. "I'm not lying, Tyler. Talk to my Dad." Tyler was quiet for a moment, staring off into nothing. He finally nodded.

"I know where. Let's go." He grabbed her hand, pulling her outside. He turned to her. "Flip, but stay next to me, Ruby." She narrowed her eyes.

"You think I won't help them?"

"I don't know, Ruby. You've been gone a long time." She ignored his remark, walking behind a bush to strip. She didn't need Tyler's stare as she flipped. She closed her eyes, letting the change take over. It took only a moment, and once she was done, she emerged from the bush, seeing Tyler's grey wolf waiting for her. They took off, Tyler in the lead while Ruby followed.

They made it to the hospital, where the girl was, rather quickly. Once inside, they both flipped back, slipping on the clothes that Vivian had waiting for them. Ruby followed her nose to the girl. She walked past Vivian and Willard, opening the door to be greeted by the sight that was so similar to what she had seen when her sister died. She froze for a moment, shocked, but got her bearings and nodded to Sherman, who was beside the girl's bed.

"I need to be alone with her." Sherman nodded, and left, shutting the door behind him. Ruby took a seat next to the shaking girl, taking her half-formed hand into her own. She closed her eyes, focusing with connection with the girl's beast. She immediately saw a light grey wolf in her mind. She locked eyes with the wolf, willing it to be human. The wolf changed into a human, the girl, who Ruby knew was named Megan.

"Megan, you have to let go. Let the change happen." The girl nodded, looking scared. "Just let go…" Ruby gasped, her eyes snapping open. She pushed her energy into the girl, giving her all that she had. Ruby's eyes were open, but she wasn't seeing what was in front of her. She saw a white room, and inside a wolf was pacing. Ruby connected eyes with the wolf. _Stop pushing. Don't force this. Let it be_, she spoke to the wolf. It nodded, and the room vanished. Ruby's eyelids started to fall, but just before she passed out, she saw the girl on the bed had been replaced with a light grey wolf.

----------

When Ruby woke up, her body felt like she had been hit by a truck. She groaned, trying to roll over, but found that an arm around her waist prevented that. Her eyes snapped open, staring at the arm. She knew that arm. She followed it up to its owner, Tyler, who was still asleep. Ruby sighed, trying to extract herself, but failing. They only way she was leaving was to wake Tyler up, and she didn't think she wanted to face him right now.

She closed her eyes, letting out a breath. She pushed back against Tyler, enjoying the feeling of being so close to him after being apart for so long. She inhaled his scent, all testosterone with a hint of pine, same as always. God, she missed this, missed being near him, feeling safe and protected in his arms, like nothing bad could happen. She bit her lip as tears filled her eyes. She couldn't do this again.

She froze when she felt Tyler start to wake up, unsure what to do. Finally, she turned in his arms, lying her head back down on his arm, which was under her. She watched him, he watched her. His hair was sticking out, but still looked good. His eyes were a dark green, like they always were when he woke up. And his face was scruffy from his facial hair. He looked…good. Finally Ruby spoke.

"What are you doing?" She asked softly. He didn't say anything simply stared at her, watching. "Tyler—" She didn't get to finish her sentence, because his mouth covered hers. She sighed into his mouth, opening it to allow his tongue to meet with hers. _God_…she had missed this. He tasted so good…felt so good. She felt his hands slid under her tank top, felt him lift it over her head, their mouths separated for only a moment before meeting again.

"God, Tyler…" She cried out when his hands moved to cup her breast, teasing her nipples. She responded by running her hands over his chest, down his back, her hands sliding under his boxers to grip his bottom, pressing him down against her. They both groaned at the friction the movement caused. Tyler's right hand slid down her flat stomach, his rough palm gliding over her skin. His hand slipped under her panties, his fingers finding their way over her center.

She gasped, breaking her mouth off of his when she felt one of his fingers enter her. She met his golden eyes with her own, arching her hips off the bed to meet his hand. He stopped his ministrations, watching her.

"Did he touch you like this, Ruby?" His voice can out a half-growl. Ruby froze, staring up at Tyler. She looked away. His hand moved up to grip her jaw, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Did he, Ruby?" After a moment, she nodded. She grimaced when he growled loudly; more than angry someone had touched _his_ mate like this.

Ruby tried to push him off, but he didn't move, instead his face moved to her neck. Her breathing was getting frantic at having Tyler so close to her neck, where he could easily rip out her throat in his anger. She gasped when she felt his tongue on her neck; felt him licking the bite mark on her neck,_ his_ mark. He had felt her tense, was trying to sooth her. He wasn't going to hurt her, he would never hurt her.

He lifted his face, meeting her eyes again before ripping her panties off. She gasped at this, watching as he quickly removed his own boxers. She felt his hands on her inner thighs, pulling her open for him. She let him, her legs on either side of Tyler's hips. She felt the tip of him at her entrance, waiting. She watched him, watched his eyes dilate as he swerved from human to wolf and back again. She nodded.

"Oh, God!" She cried out as he entered her, her legs wrapping around his back. He set a fast pace at first, sliding in and out of her quickly. After a few minutes, he slowed down, lingering longer inside of her before pulling out almost all the way before entering her again. Her hands gripped his back, digging her nails into him. She brought her face to his neck, licking the spot where her mark was. She bit the spot, digging her teeth into him, tasting blood. He growled, his pace faltering when she did this.

"Ruby…" His voice was all growl, barely human. She could feel the ball building in her, felt it tighten, so close…she pulled her face back, meeting his eyes once before forcing his head down to her neck. She pushed her hips off the bed, meeting his halfway. He groaned, his tongue licking her neck. She felt so hot, she pushed her hips up one more time…and she was gone. She cried out, her nails digging into his back as she came. She felt him come inside of her, heard his growl, felt his teeth sink into her shoulder.

Tyler was lying on top of her now, his weight felt right on her, safe. She brought her right hand up, threading it through his hair, toying with it. She groaned when he pulled out of her, turning on his side. He pulled her against him; wrapping is arm around her waist, pulling her as tightly as he could against his body. She sighed, closing her eyes.

----------

When Ruby woke up later, she felt hot. She was sweating, and Tyler's body and arm wrapped around her were smothering. She pulled away from him, getting off the bed. She walked out of the room, into the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror, seeing her flushed cheeks. What was wrong with her? She turned the sink on, splashing water onto her face. She turned the water off, and didn't even bother drying her face before walking out into the hallway. She opened the front door, sighing when she felt the cool air hit her overheated body.

_You need to run_, her mind told her. She agreed. She closed her eyes, focusing on the change. It took only a matter of seconds before she was in her wolf form. But she was still hot, and took off running before she could even think about it. She loved the feeling of the cool air hitting her as she ran. She ran until she grew thirsty, and stopped at a small stream to drink.

Her muzzle was in the cold water when she heard a noise. She lifted her head, ears perking to listen more closely. She waited, but didn't hear anything. Finally, she shrugged it off and bent down for another drink. Just as she was about to lift her head, a wolf she had never seen before emerged from behind some trees. Ruby froze. She didn't know who this was, but she knew this wasn't good.

She started backing up slowly, watching as the other wolf mimicked her movements. She froze, preparing to make a run for it when another wolf emerged from the woods, this one dark grey. _Tyler_. He didn't turn to her, but stayed watching the other wolf.

_Did he touch you? _Tyler's voice spoke in her ear.

_No. I'm fine. _She heard a low growl make its way out of Tyler's throat. The other wolf waited a moment, then left, probably deciding he wasn't a match. Ruby sighed in relief, watching as Tyler made his way over to her. He brushed his muzzle against hers, his pelt rubbing along hers. She licked his face softly.

_Ruby…you're in heat_. Ruby froze. What? Shit…she was in heat? She backed away from Tyler, sitting down quickly. She heard Tyler's laugh in her head.

_What? We've been together when you've been in heat before. _

_Not when we were…in this form. I don't want pups right now. _She saw Tyler's eyes darken at that idea. She knew he would like nothing better then to have her carrying his pups in her belly.

_Why not, Ruby? _He started walking towards her, circling her. She remained seated, waiting for a moment when she could run. Once he was the furthest away, Ruby tried running, but she only got about a foot before she felt his teeth in her neck. She froze, her body starting to respond with being so close to him. She felt Tyler's growl run through her as he smelled her arousal. The idea of letting him mounting her right now was becoming more and more to her liking.

Her body was on fire, and she knew the only way it was going to stop was for her to be with Tyler. She let out a low growl in her throat, lowering her front paws to the ground. Her butt was sticking up in the air, and she knew Tyler was only moments away from mounting her. She felt his front paws wrap around her stomach, felt his groin touch hers then— he was gone. She cried out, turning to see what he was doing. She saw him changing forms. He now stood behind her, human.

_Change for me, Ruby_. She felt his voice in her head. She closed her eyes, letting the change wash over her. She opened her eyes after a moment, now human. Before she could do anything, Tyler had her pinned to a tree, her legs around his waist. He was inside of her, moving in and out faster than she thought possible. She felt her back dig into the bark of the tree, knew there would be cuts and bruises, but she didn't care. All she cared about in this moment was the man in front of her.

----------

They had stayed out there in the woods for hours. Mating with each other in every way possible, except, of course, in their wolf form. Finally, when the sun had started to rise, they had made their way back to the cabin. Tyler, after looking in the fridge and seeing only a bottle of juice, said he was going to go get some food for them and left Ruby alone in the cabin.

She had decided to take a bath, and was now turning the water off, sighing in pleasure as she sank into the hot water. There were no bubbles in the water, that's how she always took her baths. She loved to sink under and stare up at the ceiling through the water and just think. She washed her hair quickly, then set to shave her legs. She grabbed a razor from the side of the tub where she had set it earlier, and, after lathering her left leg, started sliding the razor along her skin, rinsing it off ever once in a while.

She was on her right leg when she winced, feeling the razor cut her skin. She sighed, seeing blood start to slide down her leg freely. Why was it that they always bled so much? She finished shaving and rinsing her leg off. She slid back under the water, which was now swirling with her blood. She opened her eyes, gazing up at the ceiling.

She heard the door burst open a minute later, felt a pair of arms grab her own and pull her out of the water. She gasped, trying to cover herself up. She looked up and saw—

Tyler.

He grabbed her wrists, looking over both of them carefully, when he didn't see anything, he turned his gaze to her inner thighs. He made a move to touch them when Ruby stopped him.

"What do you think you're doing?" She finally choked out, still shocked from being dragged out of her silence.

"You're bleeding, why are you bleeding?" He ignored her, asking her a question instead. She lifted her leg, showing him her cut.

"I cut myself shaving, that's all." She said softly, watching him. He visibly relaxed, his eyes closing. She waited for him to open his eyes before speaking. "You thought…you thought I slit my wrists?" He met her eyes, nodded.

"I…" she shut her mouth, not sure what to say, finally she settled with, "Well, I didn't." Tyler nodded.

"I can see that." He helped her stand, and grabbed a towel from the rack. She stood there, letting him dry her off. He was careful of her cut on her leg. Once she was dry, he wrapped the towel around her, moving to leave. She stopped him with a hand on his arm. He turned around.

"Tyler, I wouldn't…" she trailed off, looking away. "I was in a bad place before…I won't go back there again. I'm fine." He watched her for a moment, nodded. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He kissed the top of her head, sighing.

"I know…but I can't lose you, Ruby. Not again." She didn't say anything, just let him hold her.

---------

They had finished eating and were now getting into bed. Ruby turned to face Tyler, watching him get settled into the bed.

"Why did you stop?" She asked softly. He turned towards her.

"Stop what?" He asked. She met his eyes.

"You know what. I was more than willing, you know that. Why didn't you just do it?" Tyler didn't say anything, just stared at her. "Well?"

"Because I know that it was just the heat, and I know you wouldn't normally do that." He finally spoke, "I won't take advantage of you like that."

"It's not like we haven't had sex before."

"It's not the same, Ruby." He spoke, "if we had done that…there's a good chance you would be pregnant right now." She looked away, up at the ceiling.

"And you don't want that?" She finally asked, her gaze remaining on the ceiling. He turned her face towards him with his hand, his eyes fierce.

"You know I do, Ruby." He brushed a hand down her cheek. "You know there's nothing I want more than to have your belly full of my pups, but I know you aren't ready, and I'm not going to force you." She placed a kiss on his palm.

"Thank you." He leaned over, kissing her softly on the lips. She pulled back. "What if I said I didn't want children?" Tyler froze, not saying anything. She grinned, laughing. "I'm kidding, Tyler, God, the look on your face…" Her laughter was cut off by his mouth. After a minute he pulled back.

"You better be kidding, Ruby." He spoke, rubbing the side of his face against hers. "Because you know sooner or later I'm going to have my way." Ruby nodded, sighing in pleasure as his mouth made its way down her neck.

"That I'm sure of."

**TBC…**

**Reviews please! I love to hear what people think. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Sorry it took me so long to update, but I've been busy with school and such. Life gets in the way. Oh well. Either way, here's the next chapter. Hope you guys like it. The next chapter is going to have some flashbacks. We're going to figure out what happened after Amanda's death, and what happened to Ruby after she ran away. And didn't Tyler ever go after her? We shall find out soon, I promise.

Enjoy people!

**Chapter 4**

"I'm not leaving…I can't, not anymore." Ruby spoke, sitting on a leather sofa with Tyler's arm wrapped around her shoulder. She turned to look at her father. "I'm staying for good, Dad. I'm not running again." She felt Tyler's hand on her shoulder tighten. She glanced at him warily. "Even if I wanted too, wolf boy here would never let me get too far…"

"Ruby, I want to believe you but we can't take a chance like that…the pack needs you—"

"Mr. Cates, I can assure you, Ruby won't be going anywhere." Tyler's voice was a soft growl, his gaze switched from Ruby to Willard. "And besides, you can't keep her locked up forever." Willard sighed, glancing at Vivian, who was sitting in a chair next to him.

"I suppose we could give it a try." He glanced back to Ruby, "Are you sure you want to teach at the high school?" Ruby nodded.

"Yes, I've always wanted to teach English, and this would be perfect." Willard nodded.

"Okay than, but if you run, Ruby…" He trailed off, Ruby nodded.

"I know." She glanced at Tyler, "But I won't be running anymore."

**----------**

Ruby snapped the lid shut on her mug of coffee, quickly grabbing her leather bag from the kitchen table. She turned, walking quickly to the door and ran smack into Tyler's chest. Her coffee cup went flying, and Ruby watched as Tyler's caught the cup before it hit the ground. He smirked at her.

"In a hurry?" He set the mug on the counter next to him, his arms wrapping around her. His mouth found her neck, making a wet pattern along it. Ruby pushed him away.

"I wanted to get in early so I could check everything out—" Tyler silenced her with a kiss, pulling back after a moment. Ruby stood for a moment, relaxed, before grabbing her coffee mug and securing her bag on her shoulder. She gave Tyler a quick kiss and ran out the door, Tyler's laughter following her out.

Ruby arrived with an hour to go before school started. She had talked with the Principle the other day about a job, and he had quickly agreed, with an edge of fear to his voice, which made Ruby think that Tyler had visited him before she had. Either way, she was happy with the outcome. She was now the official English teacher at the high school. And she was excited. She would actually be teaching!

Ruby sighed in happiness, setting her bag down on her new desk. She walked around, sitting down in the chair. It felt powerful; somehow, knowing the room would soon be filled with teenagers who would have to listen to her. Yes, she was going to like this. That was, of course, if they actually listened to her…but she had a feeling they would, well, she _hoped_ they would.

**----------**

"You're Sophia, right? Matt's daughter?" Ruby spoke. It was the end of third period, and she had pulled the young girl off to the side. The girl looked just like her mother, long dark chestnut hair, fair skin, brown eyes. She was beautiful, no doubt about it, and smart too. Ruby could see why Lucas liked her so much, even if he didn't admit it. Sophia nodded.

"You know my Dad?" Ruby nodded with a smile.

"I'm Lucas Cates' sister, Ruby." Ruby saw recognition flash through the girl's eyes.

"Oh, right. Did you just move back to town?"

"Something like that." Ruby smiled, "You know Lucas, right?" A blush made its way over Sophia's features as she nodded. Ruby smirked inwardly. Lucas really had this one hooked. "He told me about you." Surprise flashed through Sophia's eyes.

"He…he did?" Ruby nodded.

"You should get going, next period starts soon. It was nice talking to you, Sophia."

"You too, Ms—"

"Call me Ruby." Sophia nodded, smiling.

"Okay. See you later, Ruby." Sophia turned, walking off to her next class. Ruby smiled, watching the girl walk off. Lucas had picked a good one.

**----------**

Ruby watched as students pilled into the classroom, each of them giving her a once over before sitting down. Ruby sighed inwardly, turning to Sherman. Why had she agreed to this? Sherman had cornered her as she was getting ready to leave and talked her into teaching his class with him. He had said he could use a woman to help him. She had agreed, but only every once in a while. She glanced around the room, taking in all the stares. A pair of eyes caught hers. She watched as Lucas' eyebrow rose, she shrugged.

_I'm not sure what happened, but here I am._ She spoke through her link with Luke.

He smirked, responding. _Good. Maybe you'll make this class a little more exciting. _

Ruby smiled, and turned to face Sherman as he started talking.

**----------**

After school had let out, Ruby had collected her things and decided to stop off and visit Matt Donner at the police station. Ruby had always liked Matt. He treated her like a daughter, and he had always been around to talk to. When his wife died, Ruby wasn't even here. She had been off in some other place probably getting high. That's what had happened after she had run away. She had gotten involved in drugs and alcohol. Nothing good.

Ruby opened the door of the police station and walked in. She paused and surveyed the room, finally coming to a rest on a brown haired man sitting at his desk flipping through a file. Ruby smiled as he looked up. "Matt."

"Ruby…" Matt stood up from his desk, walking over to her. She gave him a hug, to which he responded, wrapping his arms around her. He pulled back with a smile. "When did you come back? I haven't seen you in…"

"A long time." Ruby filled in, giving him a small smile. "I know. I got in a few days ago. But I haven't…I would have called but…I didn't really have a phone at the time." Matt watched her for a moment, his smile slipping.

"They brought you back, then?"

Ruby managed a small smile. "Kicking and screaming, as usual."

"I'm sorry." Matt spoke softly. Ruby shrugged.

"It was going to happen sooner or later. Besides, I belong here. You know it, I know it. I just didn't want it to be true." She sighed.

"Have you…talked with Tyler?" Ruby gave a small laugh.

"Of course. Like he would have it any other way. I mean…we're fine for the most part. Tyler's got me back here living with him. He happy for now. But he'll be wanting pups soon, though…" Ruby smiled, rolling her eyes.

"Are you sure everything's alright?" Matt questioned her again. Ruby nodded, then stopped.

"We have things to work out. He still doesn't trust me. I know that. I don't really blame him, I haven't exactly done great things in the past, but…I just…" Ruby ran a hand through her hair; she sighed. "I love him. I don't want to, but I do. He's an arrogant ass, and he doesn't care about anyone but himself."

"And you." Matt spoke. She nodded.

"And me." She corrected herself. "The only reason I'm staying is to help the pack. If I can save just one person…" Ruby felt tears fill her eyes. She wiped them away quickly. "I just…need to help them. Because I know that if someone could have saved Amanda…" She shook her head, looking up at Matt with a small smile. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get all upset."

"It's fine, Ruby." Matt smiled. "You know you can talk to me whenever you want."

"I know. Thanks." Ruby smiled. "So…still on bad terms with the pack?" Matt gave a small laugh.

"Have I ever been on good terms?" Ruby laughed as well. It was true. Matt had never been one for rules, which made it even more amusing that he was now a police officer. They head towards the door. Ruby stopped with her hand of the door, turning back to Matt.

"I wanted to say…just, I'm sorry. About your wife. I know how hard it must have been for you." Matt looked away for a moment, then back. His brown eyes had softened.

"If anyone understands, Ruby, it would be you." Ruby gave Matt one more hug before leaving the station. She ran into Sophia on the sidewalk.

"Hey, Ruby." Sophia gave her a smile. Ruby smiled back. "We're you talking to my Dad?"

"Just catching up on old times." Ruby gave her a small smile and headed down the street. She ran a hand over her face. She was tired; it had been a long day. And she was starting to get a headache. Lucky her.

**----------**

After her Dad had agreed to let Ruby teach, and live freely, he had told her she had to see Dr. Madison each week for a check-up. Not a physical one, though that was included, but mostly just too talk. He thought that she might benefit from talking about what she had gone through, when she was outside of Wolf Lake. She hadn't wanted to agree, but she knew if she didn't she would be living in the cabin for a long time. So she had. And that's why she was now walking into the small waiting room.

"Ms. Cates?" A small blond woman smiled at her. "Dr. Madison's waiting for you. You can go right in." Ruby thanked the woman and walked into the office. She froze once she had entered, glancing between Dr. Madison and Tyler, who was sitting on one of the chairs. He glanced up at her, his face remaining impassive.

"What are you doing here, Tyler?" Dr. Madison, a middle-aged woman with a kind face, spoke.

"We thought it would be best if Tyler were here to support you." She smiled at Ruby, gesturing to the chair next to Tyler. Ruby hesitated, debating whether to sit or run. After a moment she decided to sit. Tyler wouldn't let her get very far anyway.

"Okay, than. Let's get started." Dr. Madison wrote something down on the pad of paper resting on her desk. She looked up after a moment. "Ruby, way don't you tell me a little bit about your sister, Amanda. I understand you had a hard time dealing with her death."

Ruby stiffened, unconsciously rubbing her wrist. She glanced at Tyler, her face hard. He didn't flinch, just simply met her stare. Turning back to the Doctor, she gave a dry laugh. "Well, I guess you could say that. I mean, I did try to kill myself, right Tyler?"

**TBC…**

**Reviews, please! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Sorry it took so long to post this, but I've been VERY busy with school. Thanks for all the awesome comments, guys! They really encourage me to write and update sooner! So please continue. :)

This chapter has a **VERY HIGH R-RATING**. There is a very graphic suicide scene, so be warned. If that offends you, but you still want to read the chapter either e-mail me and I'll send it to you without it, or just skip the part. You'll know which one it is.

**Chapter 5**

Dr. Madison looked somewhat surprised, but didn't say anything. Ruby was staring at the doctor, but she could feel Tyler's gaze on her. Mentally, she narrowed her eyes. If he wanted her to talk, she was going to _talk_. She turned towards him, her expression bland.

"He was the one that found me, after all." She looked down, remembering that day perfectly.

----------

It had been a couple of weeks after Amanda's death. Ruby had been depressed, always in her room. She hadn't even thought about going back to school yet. Tyler had been over every day, sometimes even spending the night. She was happy he was with her, but she just couldn't help feeling like this. Her sister was dead. And she, the white wolf, couldn't save her. She was supposed to save her. That was her job. But that's not what happened. She had failed, and now her sister…her baby sister, was dead. And it was all her fault.

"Ruby! Are you there?" Ruby came back to the present, a voice shouting out of the phone she was holding. She had been talking to Maggie.

"Yeah, I…sorry, Maggie. Dozed off a little." She heard Maggie sigh on the other end.

"You know what, I'm not going. I'm staying with—"

"No you aren't!" Ruby interrupted Maggie swiftly. "There is no way I'm keeping you from going. You have too. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." The pack went to the city once a year together, shopping and such. Ruby wasn't going, though. She just…she couldn't. Every time she thought about it, she remembered last year when she and Amanda had gone together.

"But Ruby—"

"Mag, I'll be fine." Ruby spoke calmly. "I'm actually looking forward to having the house to myself. It'll give me time to think."

"Ruby, you're in your house everyday—"

"Maggie, this is different. I'll have the house to myself. I can dance around naked, blare music, you know the drill." Maggie laughed.

"Fine, fine." Maggie sighed. "So…what about Tyler?"

"He's going. I don't care what he says. I want to have one day alone."

"I hear 'yah, babe. The boy loves you, though." Ruby sighed.

"I know, but I just…need some time alone."

"Fine…have fun dancing naked." Ruby gave a small laugh.

"I will. Bye Maggie." Ruby set the phone back down in its cradle. She glanced around her room; at all the clothes hanging around, at the pictures on the walls. She stood from her bed and walked out into the hallway, down the stairs and outside, where her dad and Vivian were loading the car. She gave her dad a small smile when he walked over to her. He gave her a tight hug.

"Are you sure you don't want to come, Sweetie?" She nodded.

"Yes, Dad." She spoke softly, "I'll be fine. Now go."

"Call if you need anything—"

"I know, I know." She smiled. "Have fun." She watched as he got into the car, Vivian as well, giving Ruby a small wave as she did. Ruby walked over and waved to Lucas, who was buckled into the backseat. He waved back, and she watched as they drove away into town, where they would meet the rest of the pack and leave. They were spending the night, like they did ever year. _Except this time Amanda and I won't be there. _She walked back inside, shutting and locking the door behind her.

She was about to go back upstairs when she heard noise coming from the kitchen. She sighed, knowing just what, or rather, _who_ it was. She made her way into the kitchen and paused; it was empty. She frowned, and was about to turn when a pair of arms wrapped around her. She didn't jump. She knew he was behind her. She always did.

"Hey, baby." Tyler's voice spoke in her ear, his arms spinning her around so she was facing him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. She inhaled his scent; peaceful. Being in Tyler's arms always had a calming affect on her. She pulled back after a moment, kissing his lips softly before walking past him. He followed.

"Tyler, I told you, I want the house to myself tonight. You said you were going to go with the pack." She turned back to him once she was at the front door again. He shrugged, advancing on her, backing her up against the door. He stopped once his body was touching hers.

"Why would I want to go there, when I could have you here, all to myself?" His mouth covered hers, not as gentle as she had been with him. She let him kiss her, responding, but when she felt his hand starting its way up her shirt, she grabbed it, pulling her mouth away from his.

"Tyler," she moaned as his mouth found her neck. She pushed him away. "Tyler, I want you to go with the pack." His eyes were dark, his hands still on her waist.

"Why?"

"Because I need some time alone, okay?" She ran a hand through her hair, watching him. He nodded, and she gave him a small smile.

"Good—" She was cut off by his mouth again. She pulled back after a moment. "Tyler—"

"You want time alone? Fine." His mouth moved to her neck again. "I'll go…later." She sighed, exasperated. He never listened to her. But fine, she would let him stay for now, but later…he was going. She tugged his head up and met her mouth with his, and this time when his hand lifted her shirt she didn't stop him.

----------

"Leave. Now." Ruby grabbed Tyler's shirt off the floor, pushing him towards the door. They hadn't even bothered moving, just stayed in the hallway. Thankfully, her dad hadn't forgotten anything, or else he would have been scarred, and Tyler possibly dead. Well, Willard wouldn't have killed him, but either way it wouldn't have been pretty. Ruby opened the front door, shoving Tyler out.

"Baby, come on, let me stay—"

"No." Ruby placed a light kiss on his lips and smiled. "You're going, and I'm staying. Now go." Tyler grabbed her face and kissed her again, exploring her mouth with his tongue. Finally, he pulled back, pulling his shirt over his head. She smiled again. "Good boy. If it makes you happy you can call me when you get there."

"Fine, I will." He gave her a small glare and walked down the steps onto the driveway. She watched him go, watched until he was in his car and gone before shutting and locking the door. She slid down onto the floor, her back to the door. She shut her eyes, willing herself to shut the connection she had with Tyler off. Once she was sure she was alone, she opened her eyes. A lone tear ran down her face. She wiped it away quickly.

"I'm sorry, Tyler."

----------

She had waited until night, until it was pitch black out, until she was sure no one was coming back. She started the bathtub, plugging the stopper into the claw foot tub, making sure the water was hot enough. She walked back into her room, stopping when one of her pictures caught her eye. She walked over to it, lifting it up to see. It was an old picture; it was of her and her mom, with Amanda, who was only a baby. She smiled, her heart aching. She missed her mom, she missed Amanda. It wasn't fair. Neither of them should have died.

She clutched the picture to her chest, the metal cold against her bare skin. She walked over to her dresser, opening the bottom drawer and pushing the clothes aside, digging all the way into the back where she had hidden something days earlier. She felt the metal on her fingertips. It was warm from being in her drawer. She pulled it out, lifting it up so the light could shine on it.

She stood, walking back into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. She set the picture frame and razor on the floor next to the tub, turning the water off. It was silent except for the dripping of water, which happened every few seconds. Ruby stood frozen, listening to the water. Eventually it stopped, and Ruby stepped into the tub. She hissed as the hot water hit her skin, but didn't stop until she was lying down. She dunked her head underwater, holding onto the sides of the tub to keep herself under. She stayed like that until she couldn't breathe, then jerked to the surface, gasping in air.

She reached over the side of the tub, grabbing the razor and bringing it in front of her. _This is what you want, Ruby._ _You don't want to stay like this anymore. It hurts too much. Do this, and it'll all be over. You'll see mom and Amanda again. _Her mind spoke softly to her. She nodded. _But what about Tyler? This isn't fair to _him, she thought. _But after you do this, you won't have to think of anything or anyone anymore. _

Ruby brought the razor to her wrist, pressing down onto her skin hard. She closed her eyes and dragged the razor over her wrist, crying out at the sharp pain she felt. Tears fell from her eyes, and she opened them, switching the razor to the other hand. She pressed down and dragged, gasping at the pain. It was horrible. The razor fell from her hands, dropping into the steaming water below. She set her wrists on the edges of the tub, watching as blood ran down them and into the water, which was now turning red.

She was getting tired. Her wrists were throbbing, but it was beginning to dull. The light in the bathroom seemed to be getting dimmer and dimmer. She closed her eyes, her tongue slipping out to wet her lips. She was tired, so tired…she pictured Tyler, hoping he would understand why she did this, but knowing he wouldn't. No one would understand…Her head fell to the side, her arms dropping into the water. It was almost over now…

Ruby heard a loud noise, something crashing, she thought. She tried to open her eyes, but she was just too tired. She just wanted to sleep. She heard someone call her name, felt someone pulling her, and then…then she felt nothing.

----------

Ruby opened her eyes slowly. She felt warm. Her wrists hurt. _They hurt like hell_, she thought. But not only that…her whole body hurt. Oh god…she jerked up, looking around. She was on a bed in an unknown room. She glanced down at her wrists. Both of them had white gauze wrapped around them. She felt tears fill her eyes. No. No. No! Why wasn't she dead? She was supposed to be dead! She wasn't supposed to be here…be alive. Her eyes snapped to the door as it opened. Sherman walked in, shutting it softly behind him.

Ruby pulled the covers off herself, not caring how much it hurt her wrists. She jumped off the bed, only to fall back down. She was dizzy. She closed her eyes, trying to focus. She opened them after a moment, catching Sherman's, who was sitting down in a chair across from her. She glared at him.

"What did you do?" She stood again, this time not falling back down.

"I didn't do anything." Sherman spoke calmly. "I simply treated your wounds."

"Well maybe I didn't want you to!" She shouted at him, trying to ripe the gauze off her wrists. They were stained a dark red now. She had probably opened the cuts from all her movement. Sherman had stood, and was reaching for her. She jerked away. "Don't touch me." She ripped the gauze off and threw it to the ground, staring at her wrists, watching as the blood ran down her arms freely. She clenched her fists, looking up at Sherman, tears running down her face. "Just leave me alone."

"I can't do that, Ruby." Sherman grabbed her wrists, pressing a towel he had somehow gotten onto them. Ruby sank to the floor, trying to pull away, but too tired to actually achieve anything.

"Please…don't help me…" She met his eyes, begging. He turned away.

"I can't let you do this to yourself, Ruby. We need you." She didn't respond, just sat still, letting Sherman press the towel to her wrists. She didn't look up when the door opened, didn't bother to see who it was. Her head fell back against the bed, and she remained still. It was over.

They weren't going to let her go.

----------

Ruby stopped talking, glancing at Tyler. He was staring straight ahead at the wall in front of him. He looked like he wasn't paying attention, but Ruby knew better. He was listening. He had heard every word she had spoken. She turned back to the doctor.

"And that's what happened." She spoke softly. "After that, I got over it. Everything went back to normal." The doctor nodded.

"Okay, then. How about we—"

"Ruby," Tyler's voice was dark. Ruby shut her eyes, as if trying to block him out. "Why don't you tell the doctor _everything _that happened." The doctor glanced between the two, finally settling on Ruby.

"Ruby, telling me everything would really help—" Ruby turned to Tyler, who was staring at her.

"Fine," her voice was a snarl, directed at him. "I'll tell her everything." She closed her eyes, trying to remember; not having a hard time. She would never forget.

----------

"Ruby?" A voice spoke softly from the doorway to her room. Ruby glanced up. It was Vivian. She turned away, facing the wall. She was still at Sherman's. It had been only a day since…since what happened. After she had woken up the other day and yelled at Sherman, she had slept. He had given her a sedative. That she knew. But she didn't care. Sleeping meant she didn't have to deal with herself, or anyone else for that matter.

"Luke wants to see you." Vivian's voice spoke again. Ruby remained silent. "Well…when you're ready, we'll be waiting." She heard the door shut, but didn't move. She hadn't spoken to anyone. Her father had been to see her. She saw the sadness in his eyes as he tried to talk to her. She hadn't said a word. Not to him, not to Sherman, not to Vivian. Not to anyone. Surprisingly, Maggie hadn't been to see her. But Ruby had a feeling the adults weren't letting her. And then there was Tyler.

She hadn't seen Tyler yet. He hadn't been in to see her. She wasn't sure what to think of that. She couldn't feel him either. It was like he had cut off their connection, like she had that night. Or at least, she thought she had. She heard the door to her room open and close, but didn't look up. After a moment Sherman came into her view. He sat down on the chair across from her again.

"Ready to talk?" He spoke softly. She watched him for a moment.

"Who found me?" She spoke softly, her voice scratchy.

"Tyler. He brought you to me." She swallowed. That's what she had thought.

"Where is he?"

"He's here, in the house. We've been sedating him. He's been going…well, a little wild, and we thought that would be best, for the both of you." Sherman spoke softly.

"That's why I can't feel him?" Sherman nodded.

"Most likely, yes. He's in a chemically induced sleep. It would be normal for you to not feel him. He can't even feel him." Ruby nodded.

"Tyler's going to be up soon, I don't think I'll give him any more sedatives." Ruby nodded, watching him leave. That was his way of saying Tyler would be coming to see her soon. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. She wanted to see him…but she didn't. He was going to ask her why, and she didn't want to answer him. She wasn't ready. She wasn't prepared. She never thought she would have to deal with this. She thought if she went through with it…that would be it. It would be over. She never thought she would live. And yet, here she was.

Alive.

----------

Ruby was still awake hours after Sherman had left her. She couldn't sleep. Her wrists were bothering here. They were itchy from her skin healing and pulling the skin. She wanted to scratch them so bad…but she didn't. She just sat on the floor beside the bed, looking out the window down onto the lake, occasionally glancing down at her gauze covered wrists. She had contemplated breaking the window and using the glass…but no. They knew…they knew what she was doing.

So here she was, just looking out the window, watching the stillness of the lake. The moon was shining brightly down onto the water, leaving behind a white shadow. She was tired, but she couldn't sleep. The only thing she could do was think. Think about what she had done; think about her dad, about Maggie, about Tyler…_Oh god_…

She stood slowly, using the bed to help her up. She walked over to the window, easing it up slowly, making sure it was quiet, and because it hurt her wrists. She glanced behind her one last time before climbing out the window and jumping down onto the grass below her. She walked slowly over to a window, looking in. Willard, Vivian, and Sherman were all sitting around a coffee table, talking. She knew exactly what they were talking about. _Her_. What to do with her.

She turned away and started down to the lake, making sure she didn't snap any twigs or trip. The last thing she wanted was them chasing after her. And besides, she wasn't running. She just wanted some fresh air, a quiet place to think. The lake was that place, it always had been. She sighed in relief when she finally descended onto the beach of the lake. The sand was cool and gritty under her bare feet. She sat down on a dry spot. She started unwrapping the gauze from her wrists, one at a time, until she had a pile sitting next to her, her wrists free.

She held her hands in front of herself, palms up, inspecting the damage she had inflicted upon herself. They were ugly, bloody gashes across each wrist, starting to heal, but still far from it. She bent her wrist back, watching as a stream of fresh blood slid down her arm. She felt the sting of tears, and she didn't stop them when they fell. She stood up quickly, running into the water. It was cold, a shock to her system, but she didn't stop, just kept moving until she was completely under the water.

She stayed under until she just couldn't hold her breath any longer, than she shot up, gasping for breath. She stayed like that, just standing in the water, watching the woods around her, watching the water, the moon. Finally, she started towards the beach, but halfway there, she froze. Tyler was sitting on the sand, watching her.

**TBC…**

**Review please! **


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